HATalk Competition Entry 2023

Maria Carmen Syed Abdul Melnic

Maker
Maria Carmen Syed Abdul Melnic

Country
Romania

Name of Hat
Peace on Earth

Description

The dove holding an olive branch delivers the message ‘Don’t destroy nature, cherish it’.

I feel that all elements of nature are intertwined – inseparable. Thus I wanted to represent Earth (with the continents), water, fauna and air (using the dove flying in the air) and the flora (through the olive branch).

In these volatile times we live in, ‘Nature’ is at most risk and threat.

Human ignorance, disrespect and lack of love show that we are waging a war against it, when the opposite is needed.

These were my thoughts; thus the design concepts used in creating this piece.

We are of Nature and Nature is from us.

Materials:

Sinamay
Crinoline
Millinery wire
Beads
Metal headband
Thread
Ribbon to cover the headband
One feather
Glue
Straw for the beak
Stiffener

Techniques:

Blocked a folded sinamay bias strip (didn’t want extra edging) and another bias strip inserted between the folded one. It had a wire (as in the bias brims).
Created simplest skeleton base for the dove. The edges sealed with lighter.
Stitched the beaded continents. To keep it as simple as possible, but to hide the stitches, I used sinamay (previously blocked) as a lining. Attached the ribbon covered headband.
The base of the dove was inserted between the layers of sinamay.
The beak was made of a straw. Then I glued in the shaped feather.

Note: Entries have been not been edited or proofread to protect the integrity of the maker's original meaning.